The Sports Symbol – M P Ganesh

M P Ganesh is a man who has successfully carved an impressive career for himself in Indian sports. He started off as a player in the Indian hockey team but has also made a mark as a distinguished sports administrator and coach. In fact, this former hockey captain and coach even did a stint as the CEO of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, thus proving his networking skills and versatility.

His Background

M P Ganesh was born in the Kodagu region of Karnataka in 1946 and the region has a rich tradition of developing hockey players. However, M P Ganesh had initially started off as a football player. He was fairly proficient in the game and represented Kodagu (then known as Coorg) district from 1960 to 1964.

However, his life took a turn after he joined the Indian Army. He started playing hockey in the Army and represented the Services in the National Hockey Championships. He was soon selected to play for India and made his debut for the country in 1970.

His Significant Hockey Achievements

M P Ganesh was part of the silver-winning team that represented India in the Bangkok and Tehran Asian Games during 1970 and 1974 respectively. Those were the glory days of Indian hockey and M P Ganesh was a part of the team that won the bronze at the first ever World Cup held in Barcelona in 1971. He also played in the 1972 Munich Olympics and captained India during the 1973 World Cup in Amsterdam. The Indian team bagged a silver medal after losing a closely fought battle.

Once his playing days were over, M P Ganesh switched over successfully to coaching the Indian hockey team. He was the coach of the Indian hockey team during the Berlin Olympics, 1989 Berlin Champions Trophy and the 1990 World Cup in Karachi.

His Career as a Sports Administrator

His stint in sports administration began when he joined the Karnataka Department of Youth Services and Sports. His rise was meteoric and he served as Director, SAI (South) as well as Executive Director. After his retirement from SAI, he took up an assignment as the Chief Executive of the Karnataka State Cricket Association.

M P Ganesh is one of the biggest sporting personalities to have emerged from Karnataka. He was not only a talented sportsperson, but his administrative acumen has also helped Indian sports in several ways.